Fence-post.



PATENTED MAY 17, 1904. U- GULVIN.

FENCE POST.

urnmnxon FILED JAN. 12, 1003.

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UNITED STATES Patented May 17, 1904.

CHASE OOLVIN, OF SOUTH CHARLESTON, OHIO.

FENCE-POST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,968, dated May 1'7, 1904.

Application filed January 12, 1903. Serial No. 138,740. (No model.)

To all whom it away concern.-

Be it known that I, OHAsn OoLvIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Charleston, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-Posts, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in fence-posts, and more particularly to terminal posts for wire fences under tension, and has for its object to provide a simple, strong, and durable post adapted to effectively resist the pull of the fence-wires upon it when in use, and thus maintain an upright position.

To these ends my invention consists-in cer tain novel features, which I will now proceed to describe and will then particularly point out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fence-post embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan section taken on the line 00 w of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 1/ y of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 4 is a detail view, in side elevation, of a portion of the base.

In the said drawings, 1 indicates the body of the post, which is composed of two anglebars 2.- These angle-bars are so arranged that two of their flanges (indicated by the reference-numeral 3) are parallel and extend in the general direction of the fence, while the the other two flanges 4 lie in the same transverse plane, but extend in opposite directions. The angle-bars are spaced apart by sleeves or thirnbles 5 and are connected by bolts 6. The description just given applies to the body of the post, or, in other words, that portion of of the post which is above ground when the post is in position. Below the ground the two angle bars diverge outwardly and downwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to brace the post laterally, and their lower ends are attached to a base or support, (indicated as a whole by the reference numeral 7,) which base or sup port is buried in the ground a suitable distance below the surface of the soil. The form which I prefer for this base or support is that shown, in which it, like the post, is constructed entirely of angle-bars. It comprises a crosspiece 8, having a horizontal flange or member 9 and a vertical flange or member 10. The lower ends of the angle-bars 2 are secured to the horizontal flange 9 by cutting away a portion of the flange 4 and bending out the projecting end of the flange 3, so as to rest upon the top of the flange 9, as indicated at 11, the two parts being connected by a bolt 12. It will be observed that the flanges 1 of the post angle-bars seat against the flange 10 of the cross-piece, so as to be supported by these latter, thus making a firm joint. The base or support 7 also comprises an angle-bar 13, bent into approximately V shape and com prising a horizontal flange 14: and a vertical flange 15. The ends of the flange 15 are cut away so as to permit the projecting portions of the horizontal flange 14 to be extended underneath the cross-piece 8, to which they are secured by the same bolts 12 which fasten the feet of the post to said cross.piece on the upper side thereof.

The post is additionally connected with the base by means of a tension-brace 16, which extends from the apex of the base to thelower end of the body of the post proper where it emerges from the ground. I This brace serves to strengthen the post against the pull of the fence and is made adjustable, so as to compensate therefor and insure an upright position of the post relatively to the base. To this end the brace 16 may be threaded at either or both of its ends toreceive an adjusting-nut which bears against a suitable abutment. In the present instance I have shown the brace as thus provided with adjusting devices at each end. The lower end of the brace 16 passes through an aperture in the vertical flange 15 of the base member 13, at the apex thereof, and is threaded, as indicated at 17, per end the brace 16 passes between the two to receive an adjusting-nut 18. At its up angle-bars 2 and through an abutment-plate 19 in front of the same, its end being threaded, as indicated at 20, to receive an adjustingnut 21, which bears against the abutmentplate 19. In this way the brace may be tensioned. from either end before the post is against the flanges 4 of the post.

placed in position in the ground and may be tensioned at its upper end after the post is thus placed in position.

In order to provide means in addition to the base 7 for enabling the post to withstand the pull of the fence, I employ a thrust-brace (indicated as a whole by the reference-numeral 22) bearing at its lower end againstasuitable abutment on the ground and at its upper end against the body of the post a considerable distance above the surface of the ground. The ground-abutment is indicated at dotted lines at 24 and may be a stone or other suitable device for the purpose. This thrustbrace consists of two angle-bars 25, spaced apart at their lower ends by means of a thimble 26 and connected by a bolt 27. Their upper ends receive between them the flanges 3 of the post, against the sides of which the vertical flanges 28 of the thrust-brace rest. The horizontal flanges 29 of the thrust-brace bear 7 The bolt 30 passes through the flanges3 of the post and through slots or enlarged holes 31 in the flanges 28 of the thrust-brace. In this way the greater portion of the strain is taken from the bolt 30 and is transmitted from the thrustbrace directly to the flanges 4 of the post.

The lower end of the thrust-brace is connected with the lower end of the body of the post by means of a tensioning device 32, consisting, preferably, of a wire rope having one end looped around the thimble 26 of the bolt 27, while its other end is connected to an eyebolt 33, which passes between the angle-bars 2 of the post slightly above the surface of the soil and also through an abutment-plate 34 at the rear of the same, the threaded rear end of the eyebolt receiving an adjusting-nut 35, by means of which the member 32 may be tensioned in an obvious manner.

The fence-wires, (indicated at 36,) pass between the two angle-bars of which the thrustbrace is composed and also between the two angle-bars of which the body of the post is composed and are alternately wrapped around said last-mentioned bars, so as to equalize the strain.

It will be observed that the post is of simple and strong construction, and therefore inexpensive and durable, while provision is made for varying the tension connection between the post and its base and also between the post and the thrust-brace, these tensioning provisions being independent in their operation. It will also be observed that in its preferred form the post is constructed almost entirely of angle-bars, the same being a commercial form of iron readily obtainable and so disposed as to give great strength to the post. The parts of'other form are merely the spacing-thimbles, connecting-bolts, and tensioning devices. It will be further noted that the base when constructed of angle-bars in the manner described presents an effective resistance to strains which tend to move it either vertically upward or laterally through the soil in the direction of the pull of the fence. This arises from the fact that the angle-bars present their horizontal flanges to resist the upward pull, while their vertical flanges resist the horizontal pull. It will also be noted that the angle-bars of which the base is composed are so arranged that their horizontal flanges or portions extend from their junction with the vertical portions in the direction of the pull or strain upon the post, so that any tendency of the post to move in this direction will result in thrusting these horizontal portions under the superimposed soil in such a way as to always maintain a mass of soil above said horizontal flanges, thus preventing their upward movement. If the horizontal flanges projected in the opposite direction, any forward movement of the post would tend to remove the soil from above the horizontal flanges and would diminish their capability of resisting upward movement of the post. It will also be seen that the connection between the upper end of the thrustbrace and the post-body is such that while it leaves suflicient play to permit the end of the brace to abut against the post-body, and thus relieve the connecting-bolt of strain, it holds these parts together in such a way that they cannot be separated to an extent sufficient to prevent their coming to a proper bearing whenever subjected to the strains which they are .intended to meet in practical use. The

vertical flange 10 of the cross-piece 9 is presented directly across the line of pull of the fence, while the vertical flange 15 of the V- shaped member 13 effectually resists the horizontal pull by reason of the soil wedging in between its convergent parts.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself strictly to the precise details of construction hereinbefore described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, as these details may obviously be modified without departing from the principle of my invention.

Having thusfully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Aterminal post for wire fences, comprising a body portion composed of angle-bars provided with means for spacing apart and uniting them and having their lower portions diverging below the ground, and a triangular base composed of angle-bars arranged with their flanges horizontally and vertically, to respectively resist upward and lateral strains, the lower ends of the post-body being secured to one of the sides of the base, which side is arranged transversely to the plane of the fence, and the two remaining sides converging away from the first-mentioned side in a direction opposite to the direction of the lateral strain on the post, the horizontal flanges of the angle-bars of which the base is composed extending from the vertical flanges in the direction of the strain on the post, substantially as described.

2. Aterrninal post for wire fences, comprising a body portion composed of angle-bars having two of their flanges parallel with the plane of the fence, and the remaining two flanges at right angles thereto, in combination with a thrust-brace composed of two parallel angle-bars having two of their flanges parallel and in vertical planes and slotted longitudinally at their upper ends, the remaining two flanges of the braces lying in the same plane and bearing against the transverse flanges of the bars composing the post-body,

thrust-brace with the post-body, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature 1n presence of two witnesses.

CHASE COLVIN.

Witnesses:

IRvINE MILLER, WILL OLAUGHLIN. 

